When the popular international TV show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, was launched here several months ago, a foreign newspaper commented sarcastically that Singapore's much publicised intelligent population did not measure up to expectations, as a good number of the pioneer participants, picked by luck of the draw, failed to answer correctly the relatively simple multiple-choice questions.

　　This led the show promoter to lower the standard of its initial questions so that more would survive the early rounds. Since then, although the level of performance has improved visibly, none has yet come close to winning the magical one-million dollars bonanza.

　　The participants in both the English and Chinese programmes came from a reasonably representative cross-section of the Singaporean public, with the overwhelming majority being under 40 years old, comprising professionals,business executives, public servants and teachers, to name just a few.

　　It was commonly held that Singaporeans were not noted for their prowess in general knowledge and current affairs. This show has confirmed what many people had known beforehand, especially those who had watched the same show here and abroad.

　　Even though the Republic is now a First World country, with economic affluence and other praiseworthy achievements that others envy, the fact remains that it still has some way to go before its educational and cultural sophistication is on par with the advanced Western countries and Japan, or with that of mainland China and Taiwan.

　　Why did Singaporeans fail to do better in this famous show, despite that our literacy rate and education standards are respectable and compare quite well with the established countries? There are no simple answers to it.

　　First, the nature and scope of the questions is diffused and aims at ferreting out one's versatility, not merely one's intellectual acumen, including especially the participant's familiarity with lighter topics like entertainment, sports, cuisine and famous landmarks. Those with higher education, and are well-read, do not necessarily have an advantage over others less endowed, except perhaps during the final rounds.

　　Furthermore, cultural factors do creep into it. For instance, the more versatile Singaporeans, with richer experiences of life, might have been deterred from taking part for fear of losing face within sight of friends and relatives, should they perform ignominiously.

　　Are there other factors responsible for the average Singaporean's weakness in general knowledge and current affairs? It is surely not lack of intelligence, for Singapore would not be where it is today if we do not have thinking people from all walks of life contributing to the nation's well-being.

　　In my view, our education system, home environment and social influences are the contributory causes. Notwithstanding that our students' academic level has been vastly enhanced, their full potential, including their intellectual curiosities and creativity, has not been completely stretched.

　　Instead, we are too obsessed with achieving excellent examination results as the ultimate goal in education, leaving our young with hardly any time to pursue other interests that will give them a more balanced education and help make student life more fulfilling and less stressful.

　　At home, our children are frequently being bombarded with even greater pressure from their demanding parents to slog for top grades at all costs, regardless of their inherent abilities, and cramming them with excessive private tuition to boot. Some parents would even object to their offsprings watching television shows or reading story books to relieve tensions, on the misguided fear that this would jeopardise their school work!

　　The good habit of reading for pleasure or for acquiring general knowledge for its own sake is not yet deeply rooted in Singapore. Quite surprisingly, many educated Singaporeans do not even read newspapers regularly, and those who do often prefer the afternoon tabloids, which tend to present news with lighter and more entertaining touch. Serious documentaries and current affairs television programmes have much less viewers, compared with the slapdash sitcoms and gungfu drama serials.

　　To make our citizenry more savvy in general knowledge and current affairs will take time and sustained efforts. An important first step is to change our mindset, fine-tune our education policies and nurture a conducive home and social environment which will help make Singaporeans becoming better informed and more worldly with the passage of time.

(The writer is a retired lawyer)

　　数个月前，非常受欢迎的国际性电视节目“百万大赢家”在本地启播。不久，一分外国报章带着嘲笑的口吻，讥讽所谓的聪明新加坡人，表现和人们的期待相差太远了。因为，在前几期被抽中参加节目的人，连相当简单的选择题都答错了。

　　节目赞助人因此降低题目难度，让更多参赛者能通过前几个回合，参赛者因此有了比较好的表现。但是，要赢得百万大奖还言之过早。

　　不论是英语或华语版的“百万大赢家”，参赛者的背景基本上大同小异，多数少过40岁，包括专业人士，商业行政人员，公务员，教师等等。

　　根据一般的看法，普通常识和对时事的了解，不是新加坡人的强项。“百万大赢家”这个节目，证实了许多人的看法，尤其是看过本地和外国版“百万大赢家”的人。

　　新加坡已经晋升发达国家行列，在经济和其他领域的成就，也使我们成为他国效仿的对象。然而，在教育和文化修养上，要向西方国家，日本，或者中国大陆和台湾等看齐，我们还要走一段漫漫长路。

　　新加坡人的教育水平不比先进国家低，为什么在“百万大赢家”的表现却如此差劲呢？

　　首先，主持人发出的问题包罗万象，包括一些比较轻松的问题例如娱乐，体育，烹饪和著名的建筑物等。目的不止是考验参赛者的学识，也在测试他们对一般事物的认识。受过高深教育和饱览群书的参赛者，未必一定比教育程度较低者占优势，除非是在最后的几个回合里。

　　文化的差异也是一个原因。一些阅历丰富的新加坡人，可能害怕会在亲人和朋友面前出丑，而不愿意参加节目。

　　什么原因造成一般新加坡人缺乏普通常识？是我们没有智慧吗？这肯定不是原因。新加坡如果缺乏有识之士的努力，绝对没有今天的成就。

　　依我看，在一定的程度上，这个现象跟我们的教育制度，家庭环境和社会风气有关。我们的学生的学术成绩当然无可置疑，但是他们的潜能，包括好奇心和创造力却没有得到全面的发展。

　　我们只醉心于优异的考试成绩，把这视为教育的终极目标。莘莘学子几乎完全没有时间追求他们的兴趣，让自己得到更全面的教育，同时减少求学的压力，使学习的过程更有意义。

　　在家里，孩子们面对来自父母的更大压力。他们必须努力不懈，争取最好的成绩。一些父母更无视于孩子的资质和能力，希望越多的补习能够带来越好的学业表现。

　　另一些甚至不准孩子观看电视节目或阅读故事书来松懈身心，他们错误的害怕这会影响孩子的学业。

　　不论是为了阅读的乐趣或者求取知识，新加坡人还没有养成普遍阅读的好习惯。许多受过教育的新加坡人甚至没有阅读报章的习惯。至于那些时常看报的人，有很多选择阅读用比较轻松和富娱乐性的角度来报道新闻的晚间报纸。

　　另一方面，观看制作认真的记录片和时事节目的观众，在人数上远不及环境剧和武打连续剧。

　　要培养新加坡人对时事和常识的认识，需要时间和长期的努力。我们必须改变我们的想法，调整我们的教育政策，并创造一个有利于丰富新加坡人的知识的社会和家庭环境。

·作者是一位退休律师。叶琦保译。

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